Casing for and mounting of electrical fuses or cut-outs.



Patented Sept. 26, I899.

L. W. DUWNES.

CASING FOR AND MOUNTING OF ELECTRICAL FUSES 0R GUT-OUTS.

(Application filed Jan. 12, 1899.)

(No Modal.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS V. DOlVNES, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASS IGNOPETO THE D. Xv W.FUSE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CASING FOR AND MOUNTING OF ELECTRICAL FUSES OR CUT-OUTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,576, datedSeptember 26, 1899.

Application filed January 12, 1899. Serial No. 701,946. (No model.)

To ally/7mm it may concern; having a packing c on its inner face,whichis Be it known that I, LOUIS V. DOWNES, a adapted to bear against theedge of the box resident of the city of Providence, State of and form awater-tight joint when the cover Rhode Island, have invented a new anduseis closed and clamped tightly in place by ful Improvementin Casingsforand Mounting thumb-screw d, carried by the cover and en 55 ofElectrical Fuses or Out-Outs, which invengaging an ear (1 on the box.A'nut (Z on the tion is fully set forth in the followingspecithumb-screw prevents it from becoming defication. tached from thelid and lost when the lid is My present invention relates to improveopen. ments in inclosing casings or boxes for and E is a block ofporcelain or any other suit- 60 the mounting of electrical fuses orcut-outs able non-conducting or insulating material adapted particularlyfor use in connection mounted upon an elevation e in the bottom withhiglrtension alternating currentssay of box A, a layer of felt 6 beinginterposed. from one thousand to two thousand voltsor Screws 6 Fig. 1,tightly secure block in :5 with any current that is apt to be injuriousplace. 5 to a lineman in the .act of inserting a new 011 opposite endsof block E are mounted fuse in the line in place of one that has beenangular plates f f, each carrying a bindingburned out. post g,which areconnected to the line-wires,

The principal object of the invention is to said wires entering the boxor casing through enablealinemantore-fuse the circuit on dead openingsto a in the sides thereof lined with 70 terminals, thus insuring himagainst dangerporcelain bushings a a. Against each plate ous contactwith'the circuit. This object I f and in electrical contact therewith isa U- accomplish by making the fuse casing or box shaped piece h, havingupwardly-projecting in two parts and on one part mounting the divergingarms h h at opposite ends, Fig. 3.

live terminals connected in the circuit and Between the arms of eachU-shaped piece 71/ 75 on the other part, preferably a cover, mountand inelectrical contact therewith is a second iug the terminals between whichthe fuse is U-shaped piece i, having converging arms t" connected. Whenthe parts of the box are at opposite ends. Plate f, U-shaped piecebrought together or, in other words, when h, and U-shaped pieceiaresecured together 0 the cover is in its closed position, the conand toblock E by screw 70. 8c tacts on the one part engage the live con- L isa block of porcelain (or other non-contacts on the other part, thuscompleting the ducting material, secured to coverBby screws circuitthrough the fuse. When the two H, (see dotted lines, Fig. 2,) a packingZ of parts are separated or the cover is in its open felt beinginterposed to form a solid connecposition,the lineman can connect thefuse betion. At each end of block L is mounted 85 tween the then deadterminals on the cover a double contact or terminal M, consisting ofwith perfect safety. a flat brass strip secured at its central part Thefeatures above referred to, as well as on (see Figs. 3and4.) againstblock L by screws other important features of my invention, a and at itsends bent at right angles to the will be best understood by reference tothe face of the block, as at m, each end being 0 accompanying drawings,wherein then bent backwardly on itself, as at m form- Figure 1 is afront elevation of the box ing spring-arms. Binding-posts O O are sowiththe cover thrown open. Fig. 2 is a cured against and make electricalcontact vertical longitudinal sectional view therewith the part on ofterminals M M, respec- 5 through. Fig. 3 isatransverse sectional viewtively, being held in place by screws 02 at al- 95 011 line 3 of Fig 2,and Fig. 4 is a detail of ready referred to. one of the double-contactplates. P is an electrical fuse removably secured Referring to thedrawings, A represents between the binding-posts O O in a wellthe box orcasing, preferably of oblong shape, known manner. and B is a coverhingedto box A at Z) and In operation when the cover B is thrown I00open, as shown in Fig. 1, the terminals thereon are dead and a linemanmay re-fuse the circuit with perfect safety from contact with dangerouslive terminals. lhe closing of the cover acts to switch the fuse intothe circuit. The spring-arms of the double cont-acts on the cover,formed by the parts m and 111?, force themselves respectively into theconverging openings between the several pairs of arms 7i and iof the Ushaped plates mounted on block E, thus completing the circuitconnections from the line-terminals on the block E through thecontact-plates and arms thereof to the spring-arms of the doublecontacts mounted on block L through binding-posts O O and fuse P. hen inthis position, it will be seen that the binding-posts O O occupy thespace between the arms t" of U-shaped piece 1' and that generally a verycompact arrangement is secured.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination with the base and cover of a two-part inclosing casingfor electrical fuses, of insulating-blocks mounted one on each part, twobinding-posts in electrical connection with and each located between twospring arms of a double contact, said binding-posts and contacts beingmounted on the insulating-plate on the cover an electrical fuseremovably connected between the bindingposts, U shaped contacts onemounted at each end of the insulating-block on the base and connectedrespectively with circuit-terminals and so positioned that the armsthereof are engaged respectively by the springarms of the doublecontacts on the cover so as to complete the circuit through the fusewhen the cover is closed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS W. DOWNEi.

Witnesses:

JOHN HENsnAw, .Luuss II. THUnsToN.

